Customer Reviews
Wonderful book. - By: Fluffycakes, 29 May 2008 
If you're the kind of person who sees water & immediately wants to go in, this is the book for you. It's practically a bible for the wild swimmer; full of marvellous places & written with such likable enthusiasm & fascinating detail that I really wished it were longer. Such a shame that he won't be writing any more.
i have since swum naked in the river torridge - By: A. S. Taylor, 17 Jan 2008 Not everyone gets this book. I have given it to several likely suspects who were only half convinced. But for me it goes into my all-time greats. And has, & will, see me plunging into water for the sheer hell of it whenever i can. A 'wild swim' immediately turns the day into a special day. Deakin reminds us that just because no one else is, doesnt mean we cant. What a literary braindump of natural science, social history, geology, modernity, the human condition. A true eccentric, who held dear & firm his beliefsin this ever-changing world. Roger, I salute you!
In at the deep end - By: Arthur Dooley, 01 Jul 2006 
A strange & somewhat contived travelogue concept works remarkably wellin this highly entertaining work.
It works because Roger Deakin is a damn fine writer who paints a vivid living picture of the waterlands of Great Britain.
From the opening splashin the Scillies through dark carp pools &
brimming mill ponds,Deakins breast strokes through a sea of characters,gothic piles & wildlife to arrive on the book's far shores exilerated & wiser.
A logical journey around Britain is rejectedin favour of a smorgasboard of water bourne experiences. One minute he's weighing up swimming the infamous straits of Corrywreckanin Argyll next minute he's backin East Anglia backstrokingin East Anglia as Swallows prepare to depart to winterin Africa.
Lush & memorable !
Delicious - By: pauldunn@ntlworld.com, 18 Jun 2001 A quote from the cover - 'A delicious, cleansing, funny, wise & joyful book, so wonderfully full of energy & life. I loved it'. Tis true. It's an ideal relaxation book. The author swimsin rivers, lakes, lidos, the sea & other outdoor watery places around Britain & describes beautifully the experience of the inner man & the nature he feels so much a part of. He throwsin interesting history & anecdote to enlighten us as to how many of the swimming holes came to be. You end up feeling like you're sharing the journey with someone who truely loves what he's doing.
Wonderfully ecelectic - By: K. Tune, 03 Oct 2000 One of the most enjoyable books I've readin a long time. Deakin's extensive & eclectic knowledge fills the book with all manner of interesting anecdote. His enthusiasm for swimming is contagious, & as a recent late learner make me look forward to the watery joys ahead.
